Thursday, July 4, 2019

Summer Running So Far

You would think, given the barely perceptible differences in Florida's seasons, that acclimating to summer running weather wouldn't be so difficult. You'd be wrong. In May, mornings and evenings are still comfortably in the 70s with reasonable humidity. Then June rolls around and suddenly it's in the 90s before sunrise and the humidity is firmly in the instant-sweat-inducing range all. day. long.

My two summer 5k races were humbling and a necessary reminder that Florida summer is brutal and that whole "14-days-to-acclimate" thing is very real.The good news is that now, at the start of July, I think my body is finally getting it together.The key has been consistency. I'm running every-other-day like clockwork, except for weekends; on days when my evening schedule looks weird, I've been good about going to the gym first thing in the morning so my run gets done. I'm hydrating a lot, which is easier to do at home than at work. And I've been very conscious of my eating habits, which has re-energized me something fierce.

Basically, I'm using summer break to get myself back in order and back on schedule, and it seems to be working.I've been mostly running 2 or 2.5 miles when running outdoors, but I've been able to keep to my usual 3-4 miles at the gym quite easily. This tells me my struggles really are about the weather and not my basic level of fitness.

I don't think I've used the gym this much since...ever.

On Monday I ran three on the golf course and felt better than I've felt in weeks. Wednesday I ran four in my favorite neighborhood and didn't want to die.

The best part of summer running has been jumping in the pool. I'm so glad it's finally back in usable shape!

I have to admit, for awhile there I was feeling pretty defeatist about running. I had forgotten how hard it is to breathe and move and just exist in this heat. I'm glad to see it turning around.I don't have any desire to race this summer. I have my eye on a November half marathon relay Matt has agreed to run with me (more on that at a later date) but there really aren't any fall races I'm interested in yet, either. For now, my goal has really been to keep up this consistency and when a race piques my interest, I'll be ready to jump into training.ABK